Railway-switch-operating device



F. G. SMITH.

RAILWAY SWITCH OPERATING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 6,1920.

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A TTORAIEYS WITNESSES v PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK G. SMITH, OF NEW BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

RAILWAY-SWITCH-OPERATING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 8, 1921.

Application filed January 6, 1920. Serial No. 349,895.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LFREDERICK G. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New Bedford, in the county of Bristol and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and Improved Railway-Switch-Operating Device, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to railroad switch equipment and more particularly to a power operated, switch mechanism employed to automatically throw the switch tongue upon the approach of a car or train.

An object of the invention is to provide switch-operating mechanism, parts of which are installed on the car, and parts of which are installed in the track pit so the engineer driving a train may automatically throw the 7 switch tongue for switching his train upon a side track, or for directing the train forward on the main line without being put to the necessity of stopping the train to throw the switch.

A further object of the invention is to provide auto-manually operated pneumatic switch-controlling means installed on a car or train and connected to the main air-brake line to obtain air pressure for operatingthe apparatus.

It is .a further object of the invention to rovide simplified switch-controlling means installed under the track, within the track pit, and adapted to be positively operated by the auto-manual apparatus carried on the car.

A switch-controlling system constructed in accordance with the plans of my invention embodies a pivoted switch tongue mechanically operated by a power lever which is moved by treadles. A pneumatic actuator is installed on the car for operating the treadles to move the power lever for setting the switch tongue in desired position.

In presenting a more detailed description of the invention, there is shown, in the drawings, several figures to illustrate one form of switch equipment built in accordance with the principle of this invention.

Figure 1 shows a side sectional view through a car, track, and track pit. Fig. 2 illustrates a plan View of the track with the car removed therefrom. Fig. 3 shows a sectional detail view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 to illustrate a switch-keeper device In further detailing my invention to present a comprehensive disclosure, and with further reference to the drawings, I employ a pair of treadles 4: pivoted at 5 in a treadle frame 3. The treadle frame 3 is laced adjacent the railroad track and pre erably on The frames 3 and the inside of the rails. treadles 4 are arranged on a level with the track, and the function of the treadles 4 is to subject the switch-controlling means to motion to change the setting of the switch tongue.

There is shown a lever 6 pivoted on. a block under the track in the track pit concealed and protected from traffic moving over the street and track surface. The lever .is pivoted at 7 and has a bell-crank arm 8.

Each outer end of the lever 6 has a ball head 9 terminating directly under and in contact with each treadle 4. In operation the lever is limited in pivotal movement on a bolt or pin 7 to subject the bell-crank arm 8 to an oscillating movement.

Forward of the lever 6 and in the track pit there is mounted a journaled boss 12. A

bell crank 13 is pivoted on the, journaled boss 12, and a link 14 connects the bell crank 8 with one rim on the bell crank 13. When the lever. 6 is moved, there is a resulting movement impressed to the bell crank 13;

K A switch tongue 16 is pivoted in the railroad track and has a link 17 connecting the switch tongue and bell 'crank 13. The switch tongue is pivoted on a pin 18 as is usual in this class of track equipment. Observing the section line 33, and the consequent development, Fig. 3, there is shown a locking device fixed, underneath the switch ton e 16 to hold it in position to prevent tra c from throwing the switch in case an automobile or vehicle wheel should run along the surface of the switch tongue. The

locking device comprises a steel ball 19 pressed upwardly by a spring 20 'into one of a pair of sockets 21 cut in the underneath side of the switch tongue. The springpressed ball 19 posltively engages one of the sockets 20 and holds the switch in set posi-- tion. When the switch is forcibly thrown w the other "limit position by the swam;

controlling mechanism, the ball 19 engages 'the other socket 21 toagain hold the switch controlling mechanism.

in fixed osition until forcibly moved therefrom. he spring 20 yields sufliciently to allow the ball to be forced out of the socket when a 'sufiicient swinging energy is imparted to the switch tongue 16 through the A description will now a The actuator wheel is mounted on the under-v wheel 28.

neath side of thecar in alinement with the treadles 4. 'A piston rod 29 projects from :the air motor 24 and connects with the arm 27 to depress .the actuator or treadle The air-controllingvalve 31 is mounted underneath the car and has a roller pedal 32. The air valve has a supply pipe 33 whichconnects with the air-brakepipe line to deliver air under pressure to the valve 31. A pipe 34 connects the air valve 31 with the pneumatic motor 24 above the plston thereof. When the pedal 32 is depressed, air

under pressure passes through the pipe 33 into the valve 31, and through the valve 31 to the pipe 34, where it is led to the pneumatic motor 24 and thus moves the piston 25 downwardly to depress the treadle wheel 28 into position against the treadle 4.

In operation, the engineer may depress the pedal 32 and instantly cause the treadle wheel 28 to move down against the street surface and run along the ground, finally move over the frla'me'3 and on top of the be given ofthe. pneumatic controlling means installed on treadleig4 to depress'the treadle and movethe lever 6 to swing the connecting linkage for draw ng the switch tongue 16 into new position. The engineer has control over the entire switching means and may elect to depress either the-first treadle or the second treadle, dependent upon the direction the engineer expects todrive the train. If the engineer slacks the first treadle he will hold the pedal 32 down until the treadlewheel has engaged the first treadle 4 to swing the switch tongue over, andhewyill instantly release the pedal 32 Whll8 l1ll8 treadle wheel 28 has passed over the first treadle inord'er" that the spring-actuated motor 24- will instantly lift the treadle wheel fromofi the; track surface so as to avoid depressing the next treadle ,4 as the train moves along the track Thls switch-controlling mechanism issimplified in design, comparatively inexpensive to produce, and is positive and efficient operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In combination with a switch, an operating means comprising a lever having arms extended into parallelism with the rails of the track on which .the switch is mounted,

means for pivotally mounting said lever in,

parallelism to one of said rails, a plurality of hinge members; adapted for engagement with the ends of said pivoted lever to rock the same about itspivot, means connecting said pivoted lever with theswitch to be operated, means for selectively depressing said hinge members to move the pivoted lever about its operativepoint to effect an opera,- tion of the switch, and means interposed between the pivoted lever and the switch to retain the connecting means against movement to prevent accidental displacement of the pivoted lever andthe switch.

FREDERICK GISMYITH. 

